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Visitor Centers

Check out National Park Service visitor centers on both sides of the river!

You can visit with National Park Service rangers at the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam in downtown Minneapolis, or the Science Museum of Minnesota in downtown Saint Paul. Learn about the natural and cultural history of the Mississippi River, get your NPS passport stamped, earn your junior ranger badge, or purchase an America the Beautiful pass – on both riverfronts! Find more information on each of the visitor centers at nps.gov/miss.

Located inside the lobby of the Science Museum of Minnesota, just off the Mississippi River in downtown Saint Paul, the Mississippi River Visitor Center offers a gateway experience on the Mississippi River. Visitors can talk with National Park Service rangers about recreational opportunities available in the park, get trip planning advice for other national park units, and learn about ongoing community events like Second Saturdays and River City Revue.

Starting in the early summer, the National Park Service will operate the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam visitor center through Labor Day weekend. Situated near Mill Ruins Park in downtown Minneapolis, across from the iconic Stone Arch Bridge, Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam is an ideal location for Mississippi National River and Recreation Area rangers to provide interpretation on the historical and cultural significance of this area. Visit the observation deck daily and take a ranger-led tour out onto the lock wall. Scheduled tours are offered daily at 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm.